Festival International Nuits d'Afrique -Compilation 2012

26e editionWorld Music

The most important world music festival of African descent is getting ready to deliver a program that’s a worthy reflection of its 26th year! This rich and diversified compilation disc is meant to mirror the coming festival, which will set Montreal alight again in July. Madame the Ambassador of calypso is launching the celebrations! At age 72, Calyspo Rose brings you right into Carnival with her hit Israel By Bus. The Creole cocktail from Haiti’s BélO and the salsamuffin from Sergent Garcia come next, before giving way to “the voice of the revolution” Vibrations, February 2012), the Tunisian Emel Mathlouthi. There follows the Malian trio Smod and their committed folk-rap. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars present a new album with their reggae and their soukous guitar, and Dub Inc, always at the forefront of an entire generation’s spirit of revolt, are heard with “Tout ce qu’ils veulent” (dubinc.org).

This is followed by a pause, a moment dedicated to a very dear person. Zal Sissokho gets his kora to speak as he sings his praise for the recently departed Chantal Jolis.

Gnawa Diffusion resumes the celebration with their famous “Ombre-elle”. Next comes the person nicknamed the “tigress” of Guinean music, Tiranke Sidimé. Author-composer-performerKae-Sun delivers a soul number inspired by a journey to his Ghanaian homeland. And we can hardly consider this album a reflection of the festival without including a track from our godfather, the very committed Tiken Jah Fakoly. Madagascar artist Razia Said and Colombian-born Montrealer Roberto López keep the party going. Finally we hear Wazimbo, whose musical style, marranbeta, was a vehicle of the revolutions against colonialism in Mozambique.

This compilation is an invitation to nights unlike any others, the nights of Nuits d’Afrique!